Improvement in steam-traps



JAMES W. HODGES.

Improvement in. Steam-Traps.

Patented April 25, 1871.

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v JAMES WILSON HODGES, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Letters'PatentNo. 114,141, dated April 25, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-TRAPS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent: and making part of the same.

I, Jmns WILSON Honens, of. Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have in- .vented a new and improved Steam-Trap, of which the 'following is a specification.

N atu-rc a-ml Obicct-s of the Invention.

arrangement of the operative'parts of the trap, and

in rendering the same automatic, so that the flow of the condensed steam' may be regulated by thev rising and falling of a float and an adjustable rod, which may be made of a'metal or metals having such rela tive expansibility as to enable it to control the discharge independently of the float by partially or entirely closing the aperture through which the water passes to the discharge-outlet of the pipe.

Description of thc'Accompanying Drawing. Thefigure is a vertical longitudinalsotion of an illustrative form of the trap, some of the parts being shown in elevation.

General Description.

A B A represent a portion of a pipe or box forming part of or connected with a steammoil.

The receivingend A and discharging end A of the pipe are separated by avpermanent partition, B, preventing all communication between them except through the duct or chamber 0 at the lower side of the pipe, which opens toward one end into the receiving branch of the pipe by the orifice a, and toward its other end into the discharging branch of said pipe through the orifice a.

Immediately above the orifice a. is an orifice through a seat, a cast or otherwise formedou theenla'rg'ed portion or box of the trap, and threaded to receive the threaded'guide D, which has a cap or head adapting it to be screwed into the seat a. so as to make a steam-tight joint.

The threaded guide D, if tubular,-may be made with holes near its bottom, or one side maybe shorter than the other in order to prevent the stoppage of the outlet ity in case the guide has been screwed down too tight through accident or inadvertence.

valve in its proper position without impeding the discharge of the water.

.111 the discharge end of the trap, beyond the partition B, and immediately over the orifice a, is a .threaded seat or stufiing-box, a, for receiving a rod,

E, adjusted by a hand-wheel, or suitable means, to partially or entirely close the aperature a), which its lower end is adapted to accurately lit.

The rod B may be made of metal of greater expansibility than the body of the trap,- so as to act automatically and independently after being properly adjusted by the hand-wheel E; or it maybe made of metal equally expausible with that of the trap, and

the opening or closure of the aperture afibe governed entirely-by said hand-wheel.

To insure greater sensibility to changes of temperature the 'rod E, when intended to act by'expansion, may be made of two or more pieces of difi'erent materials of unequal degrees of expausibility, so as to cause a greater movement of its head 0, under given changes of temperature, than could be obtained by the use of a single metal.

I do not intend to limit myself to either of these ways of constructing the rod E, as either may be employed in conjunction with the float-valve d.

0' represents a cock for drawing off any accumulation of water in the duct 6.

Operation.

Steam entering the receiving branch A ofthe pipe condens'eson the lower side of the trap until sufiicient water accumulates to lift the float-valve d and permit the water to pass freely into the duct 0 until it fills this duct and rises through the aperture a whence it flows out through the discharge-pipe B A, which may be furnished with a cock to prevent the escape of steam when first let on, or this may he efi'ected by screwing down the rod E. p

When suificient water has accumulated to fill the duct 0 and rise above the level .of the bottom of the. trap, no steam can pass out so long asthe duct continues full, nor can the water flow solong as the ball 01 closes the mouth of the aperture a. Any increased condensation by raisingthe level of the water causes the ball d to rise and allows a small quantity of water to escape through the orifice a, when the ball will sink, closing the mouth of the orifice as at first, and thus a slight alternate upward and downward motion is produced, though confined within very narrow limits, so as to prevent any con- .siderable accumulation of, water in the pipe, and occasion it to be expelled nearly as fast as it is condoused.

The outflow of water through B A is regulated by the rod E. This is represented as frusto-conical at its lower end, to adapt it to the flaring mouthoi' the aperture a, though any two forms adapted one to,

the other so that the aperture may be closed steam andwater-tight will answer. This rod, as before stated, may be made of a material having nearly equal or less expansibility than that of the trap, and the floor from 0, through a, be

regulated entirely by raising or lowering the rod E so as to leave a greater orlesser interval between its lower end and the mouthof the orifice a V When made of a metal having greater relative ex 5 pansion and contractionthan that of the trap the rod is adjusted by its thread to leave the mouth of the orifice-sufficiently open to allow the maximum amount of \vater'that can be condensed to escape, the condensation hein'g greatest when tli'epipes arezcompara- .tively cool. As theapparatus becomes heated and This arrangement-renders the trap automatic as to both apertures through. which the flow of the water of condensation is controlled. It thus provides against the contingency of an accidental injury to the ballvalve, which might tend to prevent its falling sufii ciently to. properly close the aperture a, and it is evident that in this case the expansion and contraction of the rod '13 will, of itself,- operate to control the flow through both the apertures a and a. p

By means of the cock (3' the duct O may be emptied and the moisture withdrawnfiom'all the pipes constituting the coil. It also serves the purpose of showing if steam escapes.

By emptying the duct, also, a temporary passage of steam may be allowed from one branch of the pipe blown through to carry off chemically or mechanicallyformed depositions.

Clai /us.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination and arrangement of the guide D, float d, main-pipe or trap A A-B duct G,-'and apertures u, a, substantially as and forthe'purpose specified.

2. The combination and arrangement of the rodor valve E e, mainpipe or trap A A B, duct 0,-and aperturesa a, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 3 To the foregoing specification of my improved steam-trap I have set my hand this 19th day of December, 1870.

JAMES WILSON HODGES.

Witnesses:

N. B. MOUNTFOBT, J no. W. MEDAIRY.

a test-cool; to indicate if the valve (1 is in order by v-to the 'other, enabling a whole series of coils to be 

